31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously.
31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

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2 of 33Photo: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Claire Spollen

31 Days of Recipes and Tips for the Happy Cook

Cook more for yourself and your family. You'll likely wind up eating fewer calories, reducing saturated fats and sodium, and increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables on the plate.

Studies have shown that cooking at home five days a week could add 10 years to your life. That's high motivation, and these easy dinners put it all within reach.

To make it a long-term commitment, our 31-day calendar of meals and tips will show you how to keep it going. Happy cooking!

3 of 33Caitlin Bensel

1. Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream and Glazed Carrots

Beef tenderloin is worthy splurge when you want a special entrée in less time; the cut is so meltingly tender already that it takes just 8 minutes to cook. We use the same pan to cook and glaze the carrots for easy clean up. The horseradish sauce is the tangy, creamy, pungent element this dish needs.

3. Orange and Tomato Simmered Chicken with Couscous

Plan Ahead! In 30 minutes, you can have it all—tender, slow-simmered chicken layered with complex flavors. Use free time on Saturday and Sunday to plan ahead for weekday meals. Make a double batch of the chicken, freeze half for the 27th, and make a second serving of couscous and add to saladsfor a quick whole-grain lunch throughout the week.

5. One-Pot Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes

Explore the depth of flavor in fresh, seasonal vegetables each week with meatless Mondays. Here, we made pasta night easier by cooking the noodles right in the sauce. This not only saves on cleanup; the stock also infuses the pasta with flavor as it cooks, and the starch helps to thicken the sauce so it clings.

6. Peppery Shrimp with Grits and Greens

The best weeknight dinners don't require special cooking skills or out-of-the-ordinary ingredients, yet are still delicious and nourishing. This comforting classic makes the most of an unsung pantry hero: black pepper. It brings pungent heat to this 10-ingredient dinner.

7. Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash

Don't sweat the side dishes, they can shine without a lot of extra effort. Instead of making separate vegetable and starch sides (and dirtying two pans), combine vegetables and grains into one simple dish. Serve with easy-to-make Citrus Salad with Balsamic Honey and Pistachios.

For delicious meal planning made easy, join the Cooking Light Diet today. More information available here.

8. Charred Lemon Chicken Piccata

Lightly charring the lemon slices intensifies their flavor and creates a gorgeous look. Be sure to include any of the sweet, tangy liquid the lemons give off in the bowl; it adds incredible depth to the sauce.

9. BBQ Chicken-and-Black Bean Tacos

Celebrate Friday with a family-friendly dinner that comes together easily. A kid-friendly mix of quality convenience items and bright produce imparts fresh taste with minimal legwork. A probiotic-rich stand-in for sour cream, yogurt offers creaminess and helps bind the toppings. Rotisserie chicken, one of the most versatile supermarket proteins, makes for a fast and fresh meal. Look for BBQ sauce varieties with less than 250mg sodium and 5g sugar. We like Annie's Original BBQ Sauce.

12. Black Bean and Mushroom Sliders

Enjoy the ease of off-the-cuff cooking with this dish that's so simple to prepare that you'll actually feel relaxed when you sit down to dig in. You'll love our genius microwave trick that creates the meatiest meatless mini-burgers in less than a third of the time.

13. Cook’s Night Off

Let's be real: Some nights, you need to eat out or order in. Check online menus before going out to prevent impromptu (read: poor) choices. A California roll with brown rice has only 26g carbs—that's half the carbs and triple the fiber in a white rice tempura (battered = carbs) roll. For more healthy ideas, read 5 Dishes You Should Avoid (and the 5 You Should Order) at Sushi Restaurants.

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16 of 33Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower

14. Leftovers

When a recipe is big enough to save some for later, cook enough for another busy night during the week. Enjoy this hearty, warming soup again and serve with Miso Aioli Dip and crudités.

16. Cumin-Rubbed Chicken with Guacamole Sauce Recipe

Fresh and easy, this zingy Mexican dish with tangy guac takes just 30 minutes to get on the table. Side dishes can shine without a lot of extra effort. Use forward flavors to jazz up plain veggies and grains, like in this Caribbean-Style Roast Cabbage with Carrots recipe.

17. Lamb Chops with Farro, Arugula, and Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

The ever-expanding variety of quick grains on the market, like the farro used here, makes incorporating whole grains into daily meals easier. Feel free to substitute brown rice if you can't find farro.

18. Mediterranean Chicken and Bulgur Skillet

You'll be delighted by the incredible results from this one-pot wonder: tender bulgur, creamy feta, and moist chicken. You don't even need a sauce since there's so much flavor in the pan. It's a complete meal, though you could serve with a side salad if you'd like. For this specific week, make extra bulgur and use it on the 23rd.

19. Warm-Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Earthy, fragrant spices like allspice, cloves, and cinnamon make wonderful accents for the natural sweetness of butternut squash. Make sure to simmer the squash until very tender—the softer it gets, the silkier the puree. Serve with Endive Salad with Beets, Goat Cheese, and Walnuts.

20. Seared Sirloin Steak Bites with Miso Butter and Rice

Tip: No need to melt the butter for the miso mixture—the hot cooked steak will melt the sauce just enough to give each piece of steak a nice coating. To help save time, prepare miso, cook steak, and roast veggies while the rice cooks.

22. Whole-Grain Spaghetti with Veggi-fied Meat Sauce

Few things satisfy and please the family more than the combo of hearty meat sauce, slurp-able noodles, and crusty garlic-and-butter-smeared bread. We topped whole-grain pasta with a sauce made from unsalted diced tomatoes, extra-lean mushrooms, and zucchini for a lighter version of the weeknight staple.

23. Lemony Chicken Kebabs with Tomato-Parsley Salad

Here's a six-ingredient dish that delivers big taste with minimal fuss. If you're pressed for time, cut the marinating back to 15 minutes–lemon flavor will still come through. Serve the salad on a bed of bulgur for a twist on tabbouleh and a fiber boost.

30. Roasted Shrimp with White Beans and Feta

Roasting shrimp in the oven is a hands-off route to bringing out robust flavor; the method also helps prevent overcooking, keeping shrimp tender. Prep tip: It's easier to grate the rind before juicing the lemon.

For delicious meal planning made easy, join the Cooking Light Diet today. More information available here.